


Cruel to be Kind, but Not Really

by EldritchChibiMoon



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Awkward Romance, F/M, Horror, How Do I Tag, Not Beta Read, Paranormal, Romance, Shane Being an Asshole, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:13:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26581198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EldritchChibiMoon/pseuds/EldritchChibiMoon
Summary: In almost every Shane/Player fic, Shane is the asocial arse and Farmer is the social butterfly. I've decided to switch it up a bit - not saying Shane is going to be the life of the party, or even polite, but maybe slightly more outgoing than Farmer. This will also be mainly Shane POV.End of year 1.Shane is slowly pulling himself out of the gutter. He's stopped drinking, quit his job at JojaMart, and is now supplying the valley with the freshest eggs in the valley. Things are looking up.Then, he finds Farm Girl collapsed in the mines, and everything starts to change all over again.This is a paranormal fic. Pretty much everyone in Stardew Valley is something or somehow involved -human is a pretty relative term in a valley home to monsters and Spirits.
Relationships: Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. The White Rabbit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for Blood &Body Horror? Slightly graphic, maybe? Read at your own risk.

Marnie was taking a bubble bath and Shane, sweaty from working the fields, wasn't inclined to wait. His muscles burned, his back ached, and he just felt gross. The bath house was his next best option, and so long as he didn't run into anyone too chatty or annoying, he'd be able to get back before dark.

The cold bit harder with his new layer of sticky sweat covering him. He regretted leaving the house instantly and grumbled unkind words to past Shane about assuring Marnie she could relax in their newly renovated bathroom for the entire evening.

It was the holidays and it always picked up for them around that time of year. Suddenly, their special blend of organic, all natural, and dye free wool sold faster, as did cheeses, feathers, and even manure. Production of gift and gift baskets were in high demand, and words like "farm fresh," "cruelty free," and "hypoallergenic" were trendy.

At least, according to Marnie. She did an almost one-eighty of the farm's marketing and they went from barely breaking even to... comfortable. Comfortable enough Shane could breathe. Comfortable enough he felt like he could tell Morris where he wanted him to stick his next new marketing schemes. Comfortable enough that he could focus on what he thought were broken dreams -his special, dumb blue chicken breeding program.

Comfortable enough he could admit he had a problem.

He made it past town, past the community center -and he tried not to pay that place any attention, he didn't believe the rumors it was haunted, but he never wanted to find out. As he crested the hills past Robin's shop, a flicker of yellow caught his eye.

An old man. The old man -the wild man... What was his name? Leon? Lennart?

The man was almost always hiding whenever Shane passed by. But now he was waving and clearly panicked as he very nearly tripped over himself as he made a sudden beeline in Shane's direction. He almost groaned. Whatever scheme the local wacko had, he wanted nothing to do with it.

"I don't have any money." It was a reflex. The local Wildman, which was the polite was of saying hobo, had never asked before, but Shane had spent his high-school and struggling college years in Zuzu City. The homeless there were relentless.

"Please -she needs help." The old coot lunged forward, grabbing Shane's arm with surprising speed and strength. "Hurry!" He pulled.

The words didn't quite register. Shane tensed and ripped his arm free, shoving the crazy old man. "Get off!" The Hobo was flung backwards.

"She's hurt and won't move! Help her!"

His ears finally caught up with his brain. "Where? Who?" Nobody was screaming and it didn't look like anyone was hurt nearby. Did Robyn have a tree-cutting accident? One of Maru and Demetrius' experiments gone wrong?

The Hobo gesticulated wildly and ran off in the directions of the Adventures Guild and the mines. Shane hunched, his shoulders taught and rigid. He hoped it wasn't the mines -he'd hated them ever since he was a kid, and feverishly hoped he'd never have to go back in them.

It was the mines; just his luck. Shane tensed and slowed down. He hadn't been up this far north-east in... years. Since he was a teenager. It looked different. Neater, not as over grown, and... the mine cart tracks were clear. Was someone using them?

He thought he remembered Clint mentioning something about them mysteriously restarting up. He shivered and tried not to think of ghosts.

Shane trailed behind the Hobo, expecting to see... What? He almost laughed at himself, letting only an incredulous snort escape. A monster? He shook his head as he crept towards the rock face. He was twenty-eight, too old to be believing in town superstitions.

The laugh died in his throat. A small, dirty and bedraggled form lay curled up on the dirt floor. Something dark and wet glistened in her hair. His stomach lurched at the smell; blood.

The Hobo was kneeling beside her, sobbing and gently patting her head. "It's going to be alright, Miss Daisy, I brought help. We'll get you out of here."

Who-? The name didn't click, but it was familiar. Shane approached carefully, trying to see a face behind all that hair. Amber-colored eyes blinked towards him. 

"Farm Girl." He breathed. That's right. Daisy Clemons, the Old Man's granddaughter. She'd moved to town almost a year ago and had been practically a ghost since her first introductions. Hadn't really talked with anybody except on birthdays and festivities. He didn't think she'd had any friends from the few times they'd talked.

His eyes flicked to the hobo, who was gently clutching her hands. Well, apparently she did talk to someone.

Her mouth parted, dry crackling lips ripping open and bleeding. Shane winced.

"My bag." Her voice came out rough and hoarse. "Linus. The red bottle. My green bag." The old codger, Linus, sprang to life and started digging through it. Shane frowned.

"I'm no doctor, but you look pretty serious. We should get you to Harvey." Could he move her without making it worse? He eyed her up. Her knee was obviously broken, it looked practically mangled. Cuts littered her body, dirt and mud a protective mask over her face, covering freckles he knew to be there. Her clothes were ripped and bloodied.

She looked... she looked like she'd been attacked. But by what? Some of the cuts -slashes, really - looked like they could be claw marks. A bear? Cougar?

Farm Girl was already desperately shaking her head. "No." Shane opened his mouth to argue, crouching next to her and suddenly being interrupted when Linus pushed past him to her other side, a ruby-red bottle, fat at the bottom with a skinny, long neck, placed gently at her lips.

"If you're squeamish, leave." Linus had always sounded like a wounded animal, all his statements said like questions, hunched over, and avoiding eye contact. Shane was suddenly startled by the change in demeanor: confident eyes, direct language... It was like he was an entirely different person. It reminded him of some of the old-timers in the Ferngill Republic army.

Shane shook his head. "Once she's done drinking that, we have to take her to Harvey. She could be bleeding internally or something." 

Her hand went up to snatch the bottle, suddenly with more strength than Shane thought she had in her broken, listless form. Her face scrunched up as she downed the bottle and tossed it away violently when she started coughing.

Shane put a hand on her shoulder, ready to throw her onto his back like one of the hay bales he'd been carrying for Marnie from earlier.

There was a sickening crack. Shane froze, worried he'd done that. Farm Girl started screaming. Shane fell back onto his ass, startled. His mouth dropped. Her knee, clearly broken from the angle it was in, suddenly snapped back into place with a revolting crack and wiggling, meat squishing noises. His throat started to burn as he watched in disbelief as wounds started to close up, bones shifted, and a depression in the side of her chest, which he just noticed, pushed out.

She never stopped screaming.

And then... silence. The cracks, the meat noises, the sickening crunches, it all stopped. Farm Girl let out a strangled cry and sobbed, holding onto Linus' hand like a life raft.

He couldn't believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is there a plot? Can I pay attention? How often will this be updated? 
> 
> Dunno.
> 
> Also, I picture Shane as the big, gruff bastard whose harsh on the outside but hates things like horror movies and graveyards. Leave him to his chickens and grid ball and he's a happy man.


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shane may or may not have a panic attack. Or several.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for Language? Shane swears. A lot.

Shane couldn't believe he'd been talked into bringing Farm Girl back to her house; what he should've done was take her to the clinic.

Even in the dark, he knew where her house was. He'd been on her land before, they were neighbors, after all, and she'd bought livestock and equipment from Marnie's farm in the past, so he'd played errand boy and brought it up for his aunt. But he hadn't been on the land since winter started and suddenly, one season seemed like too long.

It looked so different. Two Barns, sturdy enough that they had to be Robyn's work, towered in the west field along with silos for each one. Her house seemed to have gained a floor, though he knew in actuality Robyn had probably just added some windows and spruced it up.

He hadn't payed too much attention to what kind of farm she had. When the Old Man had lived there, it had been an orchard. He vaguely remembered fall seasons apple picking with Marnie when he was a kid. He remembered coming up to get pumpkins and a winter star tree if he thought hard enough on it; once high-school hit, his summer vacations in Pelican Town were cut short due to gridball practice and girls.

But he wasn't too certain how Farm Girl made her money. He'd never asked. He knew from her visits to the Cindersnap Farm, she had chickens, rabbits, and goats. He'd see apiaries, had even gotten to sample some of the honey, but hadn't put much thought into what she did.

Stepping into her house, her small shivering form tucked in his arms, he figured it out.

Coffee. Crates and crates of it lined the kitchen, "Huh."

How did she get so many damn coffee beans? He wasn't sure what season they grew in, but was pretty certain they didn't grow in the middle winter.

Linus pushed past him, much more confident in Farm Girl's home than Shane was. He started the old iron stove, pulled out some wool blankets, and made a bed on an antique wooden couch with fresh green pillows. Shane layed her down and tucked her in.

Something banged in the kitchen. Shane turned and watched as Linus confidently maneuvered around Farm Girl's kitchen. He nestled his hands into his hoodie, suddenly feeling like the obvious outsider. "I take it you've been here before."

Linus froze. "She invites me in." He squeaked. "I always do work. I promise. I'm not a free loader. I help her out. I stay in the barn sometimes if my tent gets too cold or if it's raining..."

Shane had never given the homeless man much thought. He'd seen him rummaging through trash, sometimes even taking the larger pieces put out for the Zuzu City garbage men who came by once every two weeks, but hadn't given any concern to where he was or how he slept.

He thought of the last storm they got, just at the end of autumn, when the river in town flooded and the lightning took out the power to the entire town. His cheeks heated in shame. He'd never been homeless, but he and Jaz had come close. It was only thanks to Marnie they hadn't been living on the streets.

Farm Girl was obviously a better person than the entire town. He doubted anybody had given Linus a second thought.

"No, right, of course." He nodded, somehow feeling like he kicked a puppy from the look on Linus' face. "So, uh, what was Farm Girl doing in the mines?" He cleared his throat, looking around the house. It was nice. Very wood-cabin chic. Dark wood flooring, light wooden walls, carved windows; it looked like Farm Girl was making bank with her coffee gig. There were three other doors that he could see; last he'd seen of this place, those rooms had been boarded up.

"Helping Gil and Marlon keep the valley safe." Linus responded, pulling out a tall pot. Shane watched as Linus gathered the ingredients for, he guessed, some kind of vegetable stew.

Shane hummed thoughtfully. He'd pretty much forgotten about Gil and Marlon: Marlon used to tell the best stories and always brought the best set up for the Spirits Eve festival, and Gil still held the record at the Stardrop for most shots taken in a minute. Even when Shane was at his worst, he'd never been able to beat it.

But both were old men now, Marlon nearing his seventies and Gil... Shane grunted. Gil had to be pushing his nineties. Damn.

"How does she help Gil and Marlon? I don't see how mining protects us much." Maybe from the weird, yuppie city folk who drank crystal water? But they weren't much of a threat, not unless you counted towards themselves.

Linus stared at him blankly as if he'd just asked the dumbest question. "She fights monsters." He turned back to the stew. "Mostly slimes, they crawl out. But some of the void spirits have started finding cracks."

Shane huffed, trying to swallow back a gut wrenching laugh. Right. Void Spirits. Monsters. He'd almost forgotten the hobo was crazy. "Why didn't she want to go to Harvey though? Drinking that... stuff... it looked painful. Harvey could've given her something to knock her out."

"No drugs." Shane jumped. Spinning around, he watched Farm Girl sit up, clutching her chest and groaning. He hadn't forgot about her, but after her stunt with the red juice, he'd thought she was in a pain-induced sleep coma. Apparently he was wrong.

"Hurts like a sonovabitch everytime." She coughed. "If I go to the clinic, Harvey is going to want to operate, and if he operates, he's going to want to use an anesthetic. After he knocks me out, he'll be worried about the pain when I wake up and give me some kind of painkiller. He'll say it's so the stress from the pain doesn't hurt my healing, but he's a giant softie." She cleared her throat and winced. She sounded like her throat had gone through a wood-chipper.

Linus grabbed a mug and filled it with water. Shane took it and walked it over, feeling like he was in the twilight zone. He watched her gulp it down. "So what's wrong with getting some pain killers? You look like you need them."

She turned to stare into the the old iron stove, orange and red flames casting shadows around the room. "They're just not for me." She shrugged and winced.

Shane stared at her dubiously. "I thought the magic kool-aid fixed you. Why're you still in pain then?"

"Overworked muscles. And bones. And organs." She grimaced. "I'll live, but they just Harlem Shaked themselves back together. Magic never gives without a price." Farm Girl pulled another face as she settled herself back into her nest.

Magic. Shane nodded. On the outside his face was impassive and neutral; inside, though? Inside he was freaking out. Maybe there was a reason she didn't talk to anybody but senile old men and a hobo.

'But you watched her heal. Watched her bones snap back into place.' He let out a slow breath, striding over to sit in an overstuffed yellow armchair situated next to the couch by the wood-stove. 'And... Remember what happened to you?' Shane almost flinched, but didn't. He tapped his foot, nervous energy flowing through him, watching Linus and Farm Girl and hoping, wishing, praying, to wake up. Or open his eyes to Harvey telling him a cow had kicked him in the head, and this was some brain damage induced hallucination.

"So... Uh. This doesn't seem to really phase you." He wondered if he should run out the door. Pretend this never happened. The scent of warm stew floated over and his stomach rumbled. Shane looked back to the double french doors. Escape or food? He hadn't had dinner yet, was planning on eating after his shower at the bath house.

Farm Girl shrugged. "This is the worst. Marlon or Linus have gotten me out a few times, but I got stuck on a bad floor. The slimes took the ladder and I couldn't leave. They knew I was coming: it was a trap." She sighed. "We're going to have to talk to the wizard." She wasn't talking to him this time, she was looking at Linus.

Linus nodded. "Ras might have found something on his end."

Shane froze. The wizard. He blinked, his head filled with images of the tower, of a thick, sickly sweet purple smoke, the full moon and the feeling of bugs crawling under his skin. He grabbed the charm around his neck, feeling a cold sweat down his back.

The decision was practically made for him. Escape it was. "Welp, I gotta go. Nice talking with you guys." He opened the doors and stopped. There was a scarecrow right at the bottom of the stairs -ugly looking bastard, all black and slimey looking. His brows furrowed. He didn't remember a scarecrow being there when he walked in, in fact, there weren't any crops anywhere out front for a scarecrow to watch.

The scarecrow wiggled in the wind. A chill ran down his spine and Shane stared, suddenly very aware he was being watched. Some instinct told him to stay still, predators only chased things that ran and moved, and wouldn't see him if he stood still. When he realized he was hiding from a scarecrow, a sudden burst of emotion had him flushed hot with anger.

He was letting the crazy peoples' talk of monsters get to his head. He took a step outside and froze when the scarecrow turned around, smiling with a wide, gaping maw and eyes that were both too bright and too big. It let out a noise -it was like a sucking, squelching groan, and it started up the stairs towards him, arms outstretched in a horrible mockery of a hug.

Shane jerked back into the house, slamming the door shut and locking it with trembling hands. He found himself mumbling under his breath, a comfortable and familiar chant as he turned around to his new companions. "Whatthefuck. Whatthefuuuck. What the fuck -Yeezus, what the fuck was that!" He was shaking, suddenly very teeth chattering, bone achingly cold.

"A shadow brute." Linus nodded his head unworriedly. "Don't worry, monsters can't come in unless invited."

"What the fuck do you mean by that!" He was shouting. Why was he shouting? He'd only just come face to face with a monster. A figure from one of Marlon's stories. "We -we... oh Yoba." His mind blanked. "Jas. Marnie. What if it gets to them?"

"It won't." Farm Girl pushed herself up. "They can't leave the farm grounds. My grandpa and the wizard made sure of it. The only places you'll see them in Pelican Town are the mines and this farm." She paused. "Well, sometimes there are slimes in the Secret Woods. But they're so weak I don't think they count as monsters."

Linus commented something, but Shane couldn't hear him over the sudden roaring in his ears. He felt light headed and woozy, blinking against the sudden barrage of black dots. Slowly and deliberately, he pinched himself until his tanned skin blanched white. Pain. Not a nightmare. He took careful breaths, muttering under his breath. What did his therapist say to do whenever he had a panic attack? It felt like something was pushing against his chest with each breath. Like the room was getting smaller and darker.

Think. What did the Prof want him to do?

'Breathe and think of grounding things.'

His name was Shane Michaelson. He lived at the Cindersnap Farm with Marnie and his goddaughter Jas. Jas' favorite flower was the fairy rose, Marnie's was the sweetpea. Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Charlie, his diva and pride and joy, was waiting at home for her nightly snack of sunflower seeds. He'd gone to Zuzu Area Community College for three years. His favorite gridball team, the Tunnelers, were up against the Gull's this Friday.

He repeated these things and more in his head, things and people that were real and made him calm.

It took a while -from his perspective, but it might have been a single moment of panic that stretched into an eternity of 'a while.' The black dots disappeared, the roaring quieted, and Shane felt his chest lighten. Linus and Farm Girl were still talking, thankfully not having noticed Shane's almost panic attack; he wouldn't like to explain that one. His hands shook as he wiped away a fresh, cool layer of sweat from his face. If only he could get to his Valium; Farm Girl might have some weird hangup with drugs, but Prozac and Valium were his new best friends since he started therapy. 

'Crazy people.' His mind whirled, finally able to start processing thoughts again. He was stuck in the house with crazy people.

A sickening groan passed through the door. Shane flinched. Linus and Farm Girl both tensed, staring at the double doors. The room became eerily quiet. The duo passed each other knowing looks.

Shane knew, however, he'd much rather be inside the house with the crazy people then outside with the monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a soft spot for Linus. I feel bad for him -it sounds like he gets a lot of abuse in game and I'm upset there is no option to invite him over when it rains. Thankfully there are also people like Gus to help him out.
> 
> Also, also, if, in game, canonically, there is such things as feckn' Life Elixers, why do we need doctors? If you just cook together four mushrooms and BAM. Instant cure-all.


End file.
